As promised, my friend, Linda Anselmi, has written a review of Anita Finlay’s brilliant new book, “Dirty Words On Clean Skin: Sexism and Sabotage, a Hillary Supporter’s Rude Awakening.” Linda and I were both fortunate enough to read earlier drafts of this critical period in our lives. The finished work is fantastic. Anyway, below is Ms. Anselmi’s review. Enjoy!
The media dubbed 2008 the year of the woman because of Hillary Clinton’s and Sarah Palin’s historic runs for political office, but it really was the year millions of ordinary women from both parties were “rudely awakened” from their political complacency and found their voice. The backlash we received in response showed us the ugly underbelly of politics and our society at large in a way only some of us could suspect, but never fully imagine in the enlightened age of the twenty-first century. And, in many ways, we are just now getting over the shocking depth and breath of that ugliness.
So here we are four years later with a new presidential election swinging into full gear and it is just now dawning on the powers that be that not only will women be the deciders, but women are still angry over what happened in 2008. Why? Because it was never addressed, never acknowledged and absolutely none of the behaviors have changed. But 2012 will be a vastly different election. Women know the game now and we are nothing, if not fast learners. And, thanks to author Anita Finlay, who lifts the rug off all the dirt thrown against women during our last presidential election and puts names to the dirt throwers in Dirty Words on Clean Skin: Sexism and Sabotage, A Hillary Supporter’s Rude Awakening, we have a written history with which to beat back the naysayers.
Most of us knew Ms. Finlay as “Ani” during the 2008 election and we rallied to her impassioned posts. What we didn’t realize then is that Ms. Finlay was also a familiar face to many of us through her work as a film and tv actress in 24, Gilmore Girls, Judging Amy, and The Guardian. Dirty Words on Clean Skin is her first book!
*** I first read the opening chapters of Dirty Words on Clean Skin back in 2010. “Ani” was sending out book proposals and sample chapters and getting feedback from agents requesting various substantial changes. Out of frustration, Anita sought perspective from a few of her fellow journeywomen during the 2008 election, of which I was one. My reaction was immediate and fierce. “You have got to publish this book!” But the publishing gods were frowning upon her book.
There were agents who questioned Ms Finlay’s credibility and salability as an author of a political book. As if it was somehow radical for an “average” American — a woman no less — who was not a politician or political operator, analyst, journalist or talking head to write and have opinions about politics.
Apparently, being an activist who was on the ground and in the trenches writing, calling and interacting with other “average” Americans during a historic election wasn’t enough credentials for her to have a point of view worth sharing. Never mind that our government and, therefore, our politics are supposed to reflect the will “of, by and for” the people!
Then there were agents who wanted her to limit Dirty Words on Clean Skin to a catalogue of documented facts and quotes about the 2008 election. As if any, and particularly this, historic election was about mere facts. Ms. Finlay packed Dirty Words on Clean Skin with research much of which she had written about or was aware of as the election happened, but facts are nothing without context.
The significance of the 2008 election wasn’t just that Hillary was the first women from a major party to run for the presidency in the US or that Sarah Palin was the first woman Vice-Presidential nominee for the Republican party. Or even that both Hillary and Sarah lost. It was how deeply vicious, visceral and widespread the sexism was and the willingness of others — including women, political party operatives, and a vast swath of the media — to not only accept this behavior but to unabashedly participate in it under the banner of “politics is a contact sport” while still others politely looked way.
Sure physical violence and coercion is no longer acceptable and will give you jail time. But verbal and visual violence and its underlying coercion has become a cheap and easy substitute in the digital age. And it came from every possible corner in 2008.
For Ms. Finlay, and many women I know, the 2008 presidential election wasn’t just political, it was deeply personal! The attacks were personal, the wounds were personal. And none of what we experienced was without the filter of our own personal history as women. So it makes perfect sense that Ms. Finlay would and should tell about a historic election within the context of how she experienced it. How those jarring “awakening” moments of sexism, sabotage and the underlying threat of violence during Hillary Clinton’s presidential primary campaign and Sarah Palin’s Vice-Presidential campaign echoed those jarring formative moments of sexism, sabotage, and violence that she saw during her childhood.
I have now read Dirty Words on Clean Skin several times and each time am profoundly thankful that Ms. Finlay wrote this book — her journey is inspiring, her history deeply moving, her voice empowering and her research a must read for those who knew and seek confirmation, for those who suspected and want to learn, and for those who slept and need a wakeup call.
It’s time to set the record straight on what happened in 2008 and have an honest conversation on what sexism costs our nation. Reading Dirty Words on Clean Skin is a good place to start.
***
It seems only fitting to share this particularly satisfying screen shot I happen to catch of the paperback version of Dirty Words on Clean Skin beating the media hyped, sexist gossip version of the 2008 election Game Change on DWOCS’s third day of sale at Amazon:
#Brava Ms. Finlay! May you always stand strong! And now that your Kindle version of Dirty Words on Clean Skin: Sexism and Sabotage, a Hillary Supporter’s Rude Awakening is available, may you beat the Kindle version of Game Change too!
Beautuful great post Amy.
Thanks, Foxy! It’s all Linda – I so appreciate her allowing me to re-post this here…
Many, many thanks, Cuz, for re-posting this!
Linda—Excellent review and editorial! Thank you! You express yourself wonderfully.
Your line “It was how deeply vicious, visceral and widespread the sexism was …” struck a raw chord in me.
It’s not that they hate us (and I do believe this society hates empowered women)…but it’s the WAY they hate us that is stunning.
Anita’s book will be a literary benchmark in American women’s written history. It makes me feel proud just to be reading it (although it’s tough to re-live 2008!), proud to blog with the author, and proud to be a woman.
I agree, Cuz – great review/editorial, and ANita’s book is a literary benchmark. Well said!
Thank you Cindy!
Yeah, I was shocked at the amount of hate that poured out in 2008. As if a hole was blown out of a damn and we were flooded by it.
Wow! Excellent point Cindy — we have too little written women’s history so Anita’s book is worth savoring for that alone. But like you it made me feel proud as well. Proud that we fought the good fight. And it reminded me that I am and will always be proud to be a woman!
As long as we don’t lose “proud of woman”, the hate can’t win!
Thank you all! Wonderful review Linda. It all comes back doesn’t it. I remember when Hillary continued her campaign past Iowa and how she was attacked for not going away quietly. I received an email from a man I knew back in the 60′s and who had continued to stay in touch all these years; we had campaigned for Bobby Kennedy and demonstrated together. After Hillary had won a few more primaries 60′s guy emailed “What DOES the woman want?”. “She wants to be President of the United States.” I responded. It was all down hill from there and he revealed himself as the misogynist he apparently has always been. I was truly stunned to see that he was stuck in 1968; same old tired rhetoric, lefty mumbo jumbo. I’ll always remember 2008 as the year we all had the veil ripped from our eyes, woke up and cleaned house.
Can’t wait to buy the book.
Thank you Madame! How dare Hillary want to be President! I’m wide awake with eyes open. But I’m thinking that house may need a deeper cleaning.
Madame—-regarding your guy friend who wondered
“what does that woman want?” I LOVED your reply, btw!
I was working the state headquarters (Texas) for Mondale/Ferraro and you should have heard some of the Democratic men badmouth Geraldine!! They were using some of the same descripive words as Maher used on Sarah, Hillary, Bachmann—except always partially under their breath, of course.
Democratic men put the “hip” in hypocrisy!
It was a great reply. And that a woman running for prez should generate that kind of response is very telling. Pitiful.
And Cuz, “put the ‘hip’ in hypocrisy” – that is hilarious, and sad, all at the same time! Good one!
Just ordered my copy of “Dirty Words” on Amazon along with a paperback of “Life and Death in Shanghai” by Nian Cheng. This is another “must read”…everyone should know what life under Communism (and what Obama could bring with a 2nd term) is really like. They are great companion pieces. I intend to pass both around to anyone who will read them before the election.
Katz, the post from The Hill about Obama’s failures is also a great tool to use against Obots as well as a pursuasive list to pass on to those who are “undecided”…who would that be for goodness sake? I intend to send it on to all my friends.
Great, Madame! You will not be disappointed with Anita’s book, I guarantee it. Great read, great chronicle of our shared history…
And thank you for the suggestion of the Cheng book. I’ll have to look into that. Thanks!
Madame! Always good to hear from you……appreciate your valuable input.
Thanks, Madame deFarge — just stopping in to say hi — and enjoy! I appreciate your support — and that of each of you here…
Yes! I still take 2008 personally and I will be taking it with me right into the voting booth in 2012. Arrgggg, makes me mad all over again just thinking about it! I promise to read Dirty words on Clean Skin just as soon as I get my blood pressure back under control. In the meantime, I’ve sent a link to everybody I know.
I still take it personally, too, yttik. No way will I forget, or just “get over” what happened during the run up to that election, and since.
And Linda, you are so right, it really was like a dam of misogyny and sexism burst forth, and there is no putting it back, it seems.
Yeah, a lot happened in ’08 and not just to HRC and Palin. Not only was gratuitous misogyny rampant but those of us on the center-conservative side were called bible-clutching, gun-toting bitter white folks–a racist statement at its very core. That One may as well have said that we were also stump-jumping, moonshine-swilling, fiddle-playing, toothless, mouth-breathing slackjaws. So much happened in ’08 due to Barry and his bots, I think our entire political system may have been stretched to what may yet be a breaking point with the almost transcendental polarization of the electorate by Obama, Inc.
My 32 years with the democratic party came to an inglorious end when the bluedog base of the party was summarily thrown under the bus only to be replaced by OWS, race-baiters, anti-free enterprise progressives, radicals, and moochers.
This election cycle is the most critical in many generations, make no mistake about it. You think feckless leader is bad now, just watch what he does if he is reelected. Bad will not even begin to describe it.
I couldn’t agree more, Ferd – it is the most critical election in generations…
I hear you Ferd. 2008 stripped away my last illusions that we have any kind of sincere functioning “of, by and for the people” government.
Yes, Ferd. My first time voting was for JFK and like all good little girls I dutifully marched down to the poll to cast my yella dog democrat vote…until 5/31/08 when I joined most of you and began to put the country first. As an independent I grin to myself when the Dems try to court the Independent vote. Not on your tintype, Sonny.
Right there with ya, Madame – well, except I didn’t vote for JFK (I was 5 when he was assassinated), but yes – that date will live in infamy, or fame, depending on one’s perspective. That date was when so many of us had the veil ripped from our eyes. Never again. Independent all the way!
Yes, I am old(er) than most here…and to top it off JFK was assassinated on my birthday. My then man friend (not 60′s guy) was a Republican (Liberal R) attorney. For my sake he contained his glee butt told me that JFK had always been cheating on Jackie, etc. I, of course, refused to believe him. It was an open secret with the pols.
Oh, my – that was some birthday present…Glad your friend was able to contain his glee, though I am sure that was very hard for your to hear. Or to believe. I don’t think any of us wanted to believe he could, and did, cheat on his beautiful wife.
And hey, Madame, we didn’t want to believe Bill was cheating on Hillary all those times, and apparently that was all true, too…
Amy — Thanks for finding a nice sunny spot on Katz’s Porch for my piece on Anita’s book! Nothing like southern hospitality! Hey Kat and Ferd. Nice place you’ve got here!
Truly my pleasure, Linda. You are welcome at the Porch any time (if I may be so bold as to say, Kat, and Ferd!). I hope you’ll have other posts you’d like us to see here in the future!
Thanks, Linda. We try (in between all the other things that make one’s life full).
I hope this books sells like wildfire. It still astonishes me that I, fairly politically aware at the time, never, ever heard about the willfull mistreatment of Hillary. Of course I heard all about Palin’s, since the Obama media wore it as a badge of honor.
I hope it sells like wildfire, too, sybilll. It was really astonishing what was done to Hillary by the DNC and its minion, and the shockwaves that extended to women throughout the country. It is beyond disturbing…
It was horrible, sybilll. I still have trouble with it. The democrats were worse than Republicans towards Hillary.
It was very painful in 2008 to have look in the mirror and say to myself, ‘ Is this the party you supported for many years?? Were they always like this and were you too blind to see?? You have a brain , why didn’t you use it??” It hurt.
Too see something you believed in turn so ugly, is something I never want to see again. I do not know even if they cleaned house , if I could bring myself ever to vote democratic again. I doubt very much that I could.
Understand I do not want a one party system. I would like all those who have lost faith in both parties to form a third party with morals, ideals and be willing to work to bring this country to point of being the best she can be
I agree, HelenK.
And whoever is thumbing-down comments–stop doing that and make a contrary comment or go away. Your choice. To do otherwise is an act of cowardice.
I’m with you HelenK. I want a third party. And even a fourth. I just don’t see how we can get to real governance with either party.
It’s clear that SOMETHING has to give. What we have is not working. Too few of our elected officials seem to care out Nation First, and are consumer with Party first. The leader of the Senate, for instance, should care more abt trying to get our country back on sound economic footing by passing a budget, but he is too consumed with protecting the party. That is just wrong. And there are MANY instances of that on both sides. More parties might just break up that mindset and get people back to worrying abt the state of the Nation…
Note to everyone:
Please ignore the thumbs-down. We have a lurker who likes to play games, apparently.
Thanks, Ferd! it’s pitiful, isn’t it?
Yep, I’m just ignoring them until they are willing to actually speak up so we can have a real discussion. Until then – whatever!
It’s possible to click that “down thumb” by accident. It’s surprising it doesn’t happen more often.
But the thumbs down appear to be only given to a few people, oowawa, otherwise I would agree.
Yep–you’re probably right, Ferd….